SO307 Statistics for Social Sci.

for FA 2007

Mission Statement: The mission of Park University, an entrepreneurial institution of learning, is to provide access to academic excellence, which will prepare learners to think critically, communicate effectively and engage in lifelong learning while serving a global community.

Vision Statement: Park University will be a renowned international leader in providing innovative educational opportunities for learners within the global society.

Course Description:
Statistical methods are a primary tool for all of the social and behavioral sciences. This course introduces a wide variety of common statistical techniques and their conceptual bases, including: basic descriptive and inferential statistics, analyses of association and variance, effect sizes, and others in their parametric and nonparametric forms. It provides a background in the relevant theories of provability, sampling, and measurement. And the student will learn how to become a more discerning consumer of statistical information as well as gaining practical experience calculating these statistics by hand and computer.Prerequisites: MA 131 and an introductory social science class (i.e., SO141, PS101, CJ100 or SW 205)

Educational Philosophy:For the remainder of this term, this class is your job. And my job is to help you succeed at your job. Learning is work, but it can be the most enjoyable and rewarding of jobs if we let it. Online learning requires a high degree of motivation and commitment, and we must all be involved for a successful class. To succeed in this class, you should do what you would to succeed at any job: take your job seriously, work hard, enjoy your work, do your own work, come to work when you’re expected and on time, come to work prepared, ask questions when you are unsure of your job, be a good colleague by helping others to do their jobs well and acknowledging others’ contributions to your work, and demonstrate your mastery of the job through learning the necessary tools and using them consistently, well, and creatively.

And what is your job in this class? At the most basic, it is to know and understand the facts, issues, perspectives, methods of inquiry, and applications we will study. But it is also much more than that. These are simply the “tools of the trade,” and you must then use them in your work. Real learning is not rote memorization or parroting back the answer you think I will approve. Real learning is an effortful and interactive process that keeps you engaged with the material, your student colleagues, outside sources, and me. Real learning requires you to think rigorously, empirically, critically, and creatively. It demands evidence of your work as you learn to communicate you mastery properly, clearly, directly, and actively to a variety of well-defined audiences. It requires that you impart your own contributions by analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, applying, and otherwise using it. And it clearly demonstrates your effort and growth. I will grade you on your evidenced contributions to our job.

I often employ the “Socratic Method” and play “Devil’s Advocate” in class discussions, taking contrary positions and pushing you to explore your positions with a variety of questions. I will ask tough questions, and I expect the same from you. I expect you to be able to defend your assertions with sound reason and appropriate evidence. Social science is not opinion. In fact, it is often about getting over what you thought you knew. You should be prepared to evidence a positively critical stance toward yourself and positions to which you adhere, other students’ perspectives, the readings, and even toward me. But critical thinking does not imply intractability or contrarianism. If you agree with something, you should be able to explain why, and you should still be open to the limitations of any perspective. If you disagree, you should also be able to explain why, and be prepared to offer and defend what you feel to be a better alternative. Sociology classes often explore emotionally charged topics that generate a great deal of controversy. It is good to remember that others have thought deeply and conscientiously on these matters and reached conclusions with which you will differ. We can respectfully disagree with one another and refrain from personal attacks, but we can and should hold one another to the highest standards of reason and scientific evidence.

Each of us has different strengths and weaknesses, and any one method of assessment with advantage some and disadvantage others. Therefore, I attempt to incorporate several different sources for grades in order to measure different forms of learning and aptitude (as per Gardner,1983 & 1993, for example). Typically, this means that a class will include several grading opportunities selected from essays, projects, discussion, participation and quizzes or tests.

The social sciences are messy and full of contention and debate. I will not attempt to “clean it up” for you. Instead, I will encourage you to develop the tools necessary to arrive at and defend your own perspectives through the careful application of appropriate reasons and evidence. We will cover a great deal of material in this course. I will relate as much relevant “state of the field” information that I can. But social and demographic facts tend to change over the years and new research is always changing our understanding of self and society. Social scientists often do not agree and it is more honest to present the material as such. It also forces you to wrestle with the material and develop your own positions. And that, I think, is the most important objective of this course: to present you with good data, influential theories, and effective methods through which you can better understand yourself and the changing world around you. The social sciences are useful, no matter what you do for a living. You have the capacity to contribute meaningfully to the very personal and public issues we study, and one goal of this class is to give you the tools and confidence necessary to become better involved in these issues that affect us all.

See attached file (2007rubric.pdf) for additional details.

Learning Outcomes:Core Learning Outcomes

Identify poor statistical reasoning and evaluate the quality of statistical data and the conclusions drawn from it.

Operationalize a theoretical question or practical concern as a testable hypothesis.

Identify the principles of sampling and determine which is appropriate for a given research problem.

Demonstrate the principles of measurement, including index and scale construction, and how those choices guide the application of specific statistical techniques.

Identify and apply the logic and importance of effect size and statistical significance.

Demonstrate an ability to reason from samples to populations, and recognize the limitations of statistical inference.

Interpret and evaluate basic descriptive statistics and correlations.

Apply common parametric and nonparametric statistical techniques.

Demonstrate competency with the general linear model (GLM), including simple and multiple regression, dummy regression, and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Collect, analyze, and critically evaluate empirical data.

Present research results to specific audiences.

Core Assessment:

Data Analysis Project: (max. 2500 words, plus tables and figures) Students will be provided with a data set and asked to respond to the following: “tell me everything interesting about these data.”The essay must include the following components:

1.A clear hypothesis (or set of related hypotheses) that is defensible and testable, given the available data. This includes identifying each variable, discussing how they are measured and constructed, and how the student hypothesizes their relations.

2.Calculation and discussion of the descriptive statistics, and direct, part and partial correlations (when relevant), for the chosen variables.

3.Application of more than one advanced statistical technique (regression or ANOVA variants), including a discussion of effect size and statistical significance), and a comparison of those results.

4.Analysis of statistical significance for all relevant statistics. Discuss the prospects for generalization from these data.

5.Critical evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the data and their chosen analyses.

6.Discussion of the practical implications of their findings for real people and policies. Explain how these data might be used, and by whom.

7.Suggestions for future data collection and analysis that could advance our understanding of their research question beyond what is available through the current data.

In this assignment, the student will be asked to identify patterns in the data, demonstrate competency with appropriate hand and computer-aided calculations, defend their analytical choices, and translate what these numbers mean in plain language. All reasoning and conclusions must be explained and supported through references to specific statistical procedures and results. You will be judged on the quality, clarity, and completeness of your choices, analyses, and presentation.

Discussion and Participation (200 points = 20%)
Participate in all discussions each week, on time and according to instructions, for a possible total of 200 points.

Unit Quizzes (20 points x 7 = 140 points total = 14%)
Complete each of the seven multiple choice quizzes on time and according to instructions for a possible 10 points each.

Grading:Total Points Possible = 1000

A >= 900
B = 800-899
C = 700-799
D = 600-699
F <= 599

See online course shell (and any attached documents) for each assignment rubric. All assignments must be submitted through the "Dropbox" in the online course shell for grading.

Late Submission of Course Materials:Late work is not generally accepted under any circumstances. You should begin work on your assignments early enough to cope with those unforeseen circumstances that inevitably arise. I may make accommodations for extreme circumstances, but you must discuss these with me as early as possible (beforehand, if possible, or immediately after the fact, in unforeseen circumstances).

Classroom Rules of Conduct:The class is a professional environment and should be a safe place for everyone to explore the legitimate range of possible interpretations applicable to the relevant data. Your contributions should be respectful and substantive. Disagreements should center on the ideas, and not the individuals. Violations of basic decorum will not be tolerated and will result in appropriate disciplinary actions.

Academic Honesty:Academic integrity is the foundation of the academic community. Because each student has the primary responsibility for being academically honest, students are advised to read and understand all sections of this policy relating to standards of conduct and academic life. Park University 2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog Page 85-86See attached file (2007Rubric.pdf) for additional details.

Plagiarism:Plagiarism involves the use of quotations without quotation marks, the use of quotations without indication of the source, the use of another's idea without acknowledging the source, the submission of a paper, laboratory report, project, or class assignment (any portion of such) prepared by another person, or incorrect paraphrasing. Park University 2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog Page 85See attached file (2007Rubric.pdf) for additional details.

The instructor may excuse absences for valid reasons, but missed work must be made up within the semester/term of enrollment.

Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the semester/term of enrollment.

Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the semester/term of enrollment, but unexcused absences may carry further penalties.

In the event of two consecutive weeks of unexcused absences in a semester/term of enrollment, the student will be administratively withdrawn, resulting in a grade of "F".

A "Contract for Incomplete" will not be issued to a student who has unexcused or excessive absences recorded for a course.

Students receiving Military Tuition Assistance or Veterans Administration educational benefits must not exceed three unexcused absences in the semester/term of enrollment. Excessive absences will be reported to the appropriate agency and may result in a monetary penalty to the student.

Report of a "F" grade (attendance or academic) resulting from excessive absence for those students who are receiving financial assistance from agencies not mentioned in item 5 above will be reported to the appropriate agency.

Park University 2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog Page 87-88The attendance policy is a minimal standard and does not constitute adequate participation. You must be involved in your education to actually learn. If online, please make time to visit the course often and early in each week. If face-to-face, remember we will cover a great deal of unique material in our class discussions: you will be responsible for it and this cannot be made up.

See attached file (2007Rubric.pdf) for additional details.

Disability Guidelines:Park University is committed to meeting the needs of all students that meet the criteria for special assistance. These guidelines are designed to supply directions to students concerning the information necessary to accomplish this goal. It is Park University's policy to comply fully with federal and state law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, regarding students with disabilities. In the case of any inconsistency between these guidelines and federal and/or state law, the provisions of the law will apply. Additional information concerning Park University's policies and procedures related to disability can be found on the Park University web page: http://www.park.edu/disability .